Evanescence
by Sacred Miko Hime
Summary: He found them holding each other in the pouring rain, taking comfort in each other's pain. Kagome/Sesshoumaru
1. Hello

Playground school bell rings again

**This is NOT how I wanted to get the inspiration or the time to actually write this. My Great Grandmother died in her sleep yesterday morning so I'm missing a couple days of school and writing helps me vent. She was 95. **

**We've been expecting this for some time and that's dulled the pain now but the initial shock was just as painful as I imagine it would've been if we didn't have any warning.**

**For the moment, all of my other stories except for this one are temporarily on hold. Sorry people. **

**--**

_**Playground school bell rings again**_

Golden eyes watched the children play tag. One ebony haired girl tripped and scraped her knee. She cried. He frowned.

_**Rain clouds come to play again**_

A thunderclap made her scream. He craved blood for her fear.

_**Has no one told you she's not breathing?**_

A teacher came to her and soothed the child with gentle words. She glanced toward the fence and pale cerulean eyes locked with amber orbs. There was a spark of something there before she looked away.

He turned away as she ushered the children inside before the rain began to fall. She would be safe now. She had always been safe with her.

_**Hello I'm your mind giving you someone to talk to**_

He paused at the small touch on his shoulder. He saw pale delicate fingers clenching his white jacket and his gaze traveled to a small woman with wavy black hair and sapphire eyes. He recognized her.

_**Hello**_

"Sesshoumaru?"

"Miko."

_**If I smile and don't believe**_

"What are you doing here Sesshoumaru?"

_**Soon I know I'll wake up from this dream**_

"I merely came to check on Rin. I had not realized you were her teacher."

Sesshoumaru smiled at the memory of Rin chasing the miko in a game of tag, of the miko laughing when Rin placed a crown of flowers on her head, of the miko protecting Rin when he was not there even when she put her own life in danger.

_**Don't try to fix me I'm not broken**_

"Sesshoumaru? I think you should come with me."

_**Hello I'm the lie living for you so you can hide**_

Sesshoumaru allowed her to grasp his hand and pull him along the narrow streets of Tokyo.

He marveled at the trust this magnificent creature held in the simple goodness of others. He himself had tried to kill her many times and yet she still came to care for him.

He wondered why he had not realized all this sooner.

She wandered into the cemetery.

_**Don't cry**_

She walked slowly toward a small memorial in the western corner. The smooth grey marble was unspoiled by the ravages of time and the soil had burst into a dazzling array of color, muted by red, white and black roses.

"This is not what she would have wanted Sesshoumaru."

The taiyoukai glanced at the miko. She was shaking. His demon senses informed him the cause was neither the cold nor the rain.

"She wouldn't have wanted to hurt you."

Sesshoumaru drew a conclusion he disliked…greatly. Trembling, he took a faltering step toward the memorial and kneeled down, moving aside a viney tendril that had fallen over and obscured the name.

Rin

Cherished By All Who Knew Her

Beloved Daughter

Sesshoumaru sat down abruptly, overwhelmed be the rush of mental images.

_**Suddenly I know I know I'm not sleeping**_

He saw Rin collapse at the carnival she loved so much. He had been so very very afraid.

He saw a doctor wearing a lab coat saying they had put her name on the list for a heart transplant. He had been so very very relieved.

He heard the same doctor say Rin had maybe a month to live. He had been so very very angry.

He saw Rin's last birthday party. She had looked so fragile, pale and thin…but she had looked happy opening presents and blowing out her seven candles. He had been so very very sad.

He saw himself standing in this very spot in the rain watching a mahogany coffin being lowered into the earth. He had been so very very broken.

_**Hello**_

Sesshoumaru felt someone wipe away tears he hadn't known he had been crying.

_**I'm still here**_

He looked up to see Kagome wipe away tears of her own before she kneeled down and pulled him into a warm embrace.

_**All that's left of yesterday**_

**--**

**Review please? **

**Umm, should I continue this? In the mood I'm in, I probably could. **


	2. My Immortal

Inuyasha didn't know why he had come to the cemetery

**I finally finished all of the make-up work I can actually do at home so I had a spare minute to sit down and write. This ill not remain depressing for too long but Sesshou and Kagome both still have to recover. It's not an overnight thing. **

**On a side note: Rin's eulogy is based somewhat off of my Great-Grandma's. **

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Inuyasha didn't know why he had come to the cemetery. He had never been particularly close to Rin. He probably wouldn't have even come to the funeral if Kagome had not been there. But since she had pulled Rin into the future with her when the well had sealed, Kagome and the girl had become inseparable.

When Rin died, even Kagome's human family could sense the sadness and pain that radiated from within her dull eyes. She had shut herself in her apartment for days at a time afterwards, the blinds drawn and the window bolted. Inuyasha had even tried coming through the door. It had been locked as well.

On the day of the funeral, she had emerged slowly, like a child who was relearning how to put one foot in front of the other and walk. Her eyes had been tired and her hand clutched his arm weakly during the proceedings.

Those dull chocolate eyes had brightened when Sesshoumaru stepped up to the pulpit and spoke Rin's eulogy.

"_**Rin was an amazing child, bright and full of so much energy I often found myself wondering how she held it all inside her small body. **_

_**Only after I thought on her life during this past week have I arrived at an answer. **_

_**Rin thrived because she gave herself away everyday.**_

_**She thrived because she was a miracle.**_

_**She thrived because she taught. **_

_**She taught me to feel again. She taught me the joys of daisies, hope for the future, and the perfect love of a child. **_

_**She taught me to chase after what you want with a passionate, childlike abandon and to never let go once you have it.**_

_**She taught me to protect that which I hold dear with all my heart, with all my strength, with all my life. **_

_**She taught me to forgive and to move on. **_

_**She taught me to hold on to the good memories. **_

_**She taught me to love again. **_

_**Some time ago, Rin asked me if I would remember her when she died. I didn't answer her then, so I will answer her now. **_

_**Rin, I will always remember you even if I forget myself, even when the world comes crashing down, even when nothing else matters. **_

_**You have gained a measure of immortality for you will never be forgotten."**_

Sesshoumaru had stepped from the pulpit and sat down again, staring tiredly at his polished black shoes. To anyone else, he looked numb, without emotion…but Inuyasha saw the despair lurking beneath his golden eyes.

Inuyasha saw the hunch to his shoulders and the tiredness in his normally fluid movements.

Apparently, Rin had affected the taiyoukai as much as Kagome had changed him.

With this thought in mind, he had approached his brother after the funeral and embraced him roughly. Sesshoumaru had stiffened immediately. After a minute though, he had tentatively returned the hug before leaving abruptly.

Now, Inuyasha wandered between the gravestones with his hands stuffed in his jacket pockets allowing his feet to lead him. Then he saw them.

He found them holding each other in the pouring rain, taking comfort in each other's pain.

Inuyasha froze. Was this what Kagome had felt every time she saw he and Kikyo embrace five hundred years ago, this terrible burning in the back of his throat?

He watched Kagome murmur sweet nothings to his half-brother and felt his eyes drawn to the ragged tangles in his hair, to the stains on his normally immaculate clothing.

He saw and turned his eyes away, tears and raindrops running down his cheeks.

"Inuyasha?"

He looked back and his eyes met Kagome's staring at him in concern.

"Inuyasha, are you OK?"

"Feh, I'm fine wench…but you're going to catch a cold if you don't get in out of the rain."

Kagome glanced down at the silver haired demon immersed in a fitful doze in her arms with a small smile. Just like Inuyasha, he used a cold exterior to protect a vulnerably heart. She glanced up at the calloused hand that touched her shoulder.

"Come one Kagome. I'll take care of Sesshoumaru."

Kagome nodded slowly, allowing Inuyasha to get a firm grip on his half-brother before she fully stood. When she glanced back over, she nearly burst into giggles. Inuyasha was holding the significantly taller man the same way he held her. The two brother's silver hair melded together to form a single indistinguishable mass of moonlight with arms and legs jutting out at odd angles.

"You better not tell him about this when he wakes up wench."

Unable to hold in her giggle any longer, Kagome walked purposefully toward Inuyasha's car. After shoving half the backseat onto the floor, she settled into the backseat just in time to help Inuyasha maneuver Sesshoumaru inside.

She made sure he was buckled securely before snapping her seatbelt herself. After all, even an all powerful taiyoukai wasn't impervious to a two ton truck hurtling around at 80mph.

"Where to Kagome?"

The raven haired miko smiled tiredly at the hanyou in the driver's seat.

"Let's go to my place Inu. I don't want him to wake up by himself in a big lonely mansion."

As Inuyasha shifted into drive and pulled out onto the street, Kagome reached over and brushed a stray hair out of Sesshoumaru's face before gripping his hand.

"Don't worry Sesshou. We'll get through this somehow. I promise."

**--**

**I would like to thank everyone who reviewed my last chapter and helped encourage me to continue this. If I could, I would bake you all a cake and send it to you but since I can't very well do that, I'll have to settle for digital hugs. **

**Review please. **


	3. Bring Me to Life

Kagome shut the door as quietly as she could before she tiptoed down the carpeted stairs into her rather modest living room. A worn red sofa and loveseat occupied the farthest corner of the room along with a tall lamp and a number of hanging plants. A low table rested in the center of the room and a small television set was nestled on the opposite wall. A rose shaped mirror hung next to the door that led to the kitchen. Kagome passed it silently.

_**How can you see into my eyes like open doors?**_

She knew what she would see if she stopped and glanced into the mirror, so why bother stopping to look? She knew her eyes had grown weary and her face had grown pale and thin. She knew that, so why rub it in? The mirror was a gateway to her soul, a place she did not care to visit anytime soon.

Leading you down into my core where I've become so numb

Kagome walked straight to the cabinet over the stove and pulled out a large bag of pancake mix. She grabbed a large mixing bowl from the neighboring cabinet and milk, butter, syrup, and chocolate chips from the fridge.

Without a soul

"Would you like some pancakes, Inuyasha?"

My spirit sleeping somewhere cold

The hanyou stirred from his perch at the kitchen table, amber eyes glowing in the dim lighting. His black dress suit forced him to sit normally. His polished black shoes tapped impatiently on the tiled floor. Kagome smiled at him. To her Inuyasha would always be the brash hanyou in fire rat robes waving around a giant sword to protect her. This Inuyasha seemed…so surreal somehow.

Until you find it there and lead it back home

"Feh, no way. I don't know how you can even touch those things wench."

Wake me up inside

"Pancakes always make me feel better when I'm down Inuyasha. Kind of like you and ramen."

"Feh, how can you compare ramen to those pan-cakes? They're nothing alike Kagome."

Wake me up inside

"Maybe not, but still."

"Kagome?"

Call my name and save me from the dark

Kagome froze over the simmering pancakes. She knew what was coming. She didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to face the facts. She wanted only to forget reality for one night. She wanted to live in the past.

"Inuyasha…"

Bid my blood to run before I come undone

"You can't keep going like this. You have to let go. You have to live again. For Rin. For Sango and Miroku. For me. For all those kids you teach. For Sesshoumaru."

Kagome felt tears prickling at the corners of her eyes. Damn it! She didn't want to cry. But Inuyasha could smell the tears even then. He stood abruptly and engulfed Kagome in a rough hug.

Save me from the nothing I've become

Kagome couldn't hold the tears back anymore. They overflowed from her eyes, running in tiny rivulets down her face. Her shoulders began shaking as sobs racked her body. The two friends stayed that way, holding onto each other and to the memories of happier times.

Now that I know what I'm without

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

You can't just leave me

Kagome jumped away from Inuyasha, lunging for the beeping fire alarm suspended over the stove. She flipped it over and yanked out the batteries, throwing them to the side as she turned off the stove and dumped the burnt pancakes into the sink. Breathing heavily, she turned to look at Inuyasha.

_**Breathe into me and make me real**_

"Sure I can't interest you in any pancakes, Inuyasha?"

The hanyou looked back and forth between the frazzled miko and the blackened lumps dissolving in her kitchen sink and burst out laughing.

"Now that's the Kagome I know."

Bring me to life

Kagome froze, glaring at the chuckling hanyou. Said hanyou immediately began backing away, waving his hands in front of him nervously.

"N-Now Kagome, you know I didn't mean it like that…I'll be leaving now."

Inuyasha escaped out the front door just in time to avoid being hit by the still-hot frying pan. Kagome stood fuming in the kitchen, staring angrily at the remains of her dinner.

Wake me up inside

Shaking her head in annoyed amusement, she decided to check on her sleeping guest. Kagome slowly approached her bedroom, not wanting to wake him.

Wake me up inside

"Sesshoumaru?"

Call my name and save me from the dark

Kagome cautiously slid the door open, slipping quietly into the room. She remained suspended in the shadows for an instant, silently observing the moon spun creature lying beneath her pink covers.

How many times had he tried to kill her? How many times had she gotten in his way? How many times had they been on opposite sides?

Bid my blood to run before I come undone

Yet, how many times had he come to her aid? How many times had she worked to help him? How many times had they come together as friends?

Save me from the nothing I've become

They had grown close over the years. Their current relationship, whatever that actually was, was a far cry from when they had first met: when he had thought of her as an insignificant mortal not worthy of his time and she had thought of him as an egotistical bastard with a stick up his ass.

Bring me to life

Kagome approached the bed quietly, absorbed in her memories. This Sesshoumaru, like the Inuyasha dressed in business suits, seemed so surreal. He looked so fragile, so delicate and weak. He looked broken… even as he dreamed.

Frozen inside without your touch without your love

Kagome sighed. Rin had changed him. The little girl had wedged herself so deeply in his heart, even without him realizing it, that he didn't quite seem whole without her by his side.

Darling only you are the life among the dead

Rin had changed her too. She had always been fond of the child during her travels through the past, but ever since Rin had started attending the school where she taught, Kagome had grown even closer to her.

All this time I can't believe I couldn't see

Even more so than with her other students, Kagome had been able to connect with Rin. After all, only Rin knew that the stories whispered at naptime were true. Only with Rin could she speak of youkai and fairytale castles and nights spent gazing at a pure starlit sky…and Rin could speak to her of Sesshoumaru-sama, of rich ancient kimonos, and of the wonders of technology all others took for granted.

Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me

She had seen Sesshoumaru too. He came to all the school plays, the talent shows, the parent-teacher conferences, the PTA meetings; He immersed himself in Rin's school life. At first, Kagome had thought it was an escape from the rigors of running a multi-billion dollar company, but she had seen the love in his eyes whenever he looked at Rin laughing and playing with her friends.

I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems

Kagome yawned. She had called the school and informed them she had to leave the premises on the grounds of a family emergency. They had told her she could have the next few days off…however, she had still been up since 5 am and it was steadily approaching midnight. She was exhausted.

Got to open my eyes to everything

Kagome brushed a stray strand of hair from Sesshoumaru's eyes and turned to her cabinet. She pulled out a pair of pajamas and silently slipped away. She would change in her bathroom, maybe take a quick shower, and then crash on the couch.

Without a thought without a voice without a soul

After changing into her nightclothes however, Kagome decided to wait until the next morning to take a shower. After all, it wouldn't due to fall asleep in the shower and drown while she had a guest depending on her, now would it?

Don't let me die here there must be something more

Kagome grabbed a spare blanket from her hall closet and an extra pillow from where it lay nestled beside her couch. She curled up in the center of said couch, never more grateful for the weeks spent sleeping on the ground in the feudal era. Next to that, her lumpy old sofa was a feather mattress. Smiling sleepily, Kagome slipped into dreams of dog demons and open skies.

Bring me to life 


End file.
